An ink drop is a counter that you can use to help pay ink costs. They may look like cards, but they don’t count as cards and aren’t shuffled into your deck. Instead, you keep them nearby to put into your inkwell when a card says you get an ink drop. 

Anytime you pay an ink cost, you can remove one or more ink drops from your inkwell to pay 1 {I} each toward that cost! You can pay a cost entirely with ink drops, use a combination of ink drops and ink cards, or just pay the ink cost with your ink cards as normal. You can’t reuse ink drops, so instead of exerting one when you use it, you simply remove it from play.  

You can find printed ink drops in Hyperia City booster packs, but if you don’t have any printed ink drops, you can use dice or other objects to represent them in your game.  

There’s no limit to how many ink drops you can have in your inkwell or how many you can use to pay an ink cost. If you want to play a cost 5 character and you have 5 ink drops, you can remove them all to play that character and still have all your inkwell cards left to pay for other cards or abilities! 

In addition to adding the new ink drop counter type, we also revamped the rules around counters and made a new section in the Comprehensive Rules describing them. Ink drops are all the rage in Hyperia City, so have fun experimenting with them. 

Our first ability that’s specific to a set of characters returns with Gargoyles and their Stone by Day ability, which was introduced in Whispers in the Well. 

To recap, the Stone by Day ability reads, “If you have 3 or more cards in your hand, this character can’t ready.” Whether you’re planning to ready a Gargoyle character at the start of your turn or through an effect, this static ability can stop you in your tracks. 

There are ways to get around this. For instance, say you have 3 cards in your hand and play a card that readies your characters. When the effect resolves, you only have 2 cards in your hand, so Stone by Day doesn’t apply. See what other tricks you can find to keep your Gargoyles from turning to stone . . . 

Characters with the Adventurous keyword ability are determined to quest for lore. While the Reckless keyword requires characters to challenge, the Adventurous keyword requires characters to quest. Many of the Reckless interactions carry over, such as how Adventurous works when you {E} the character, including when they sing a song. 

In addition, we’re updating five cards from previous sets with wording we used before Adventurous, to correctly reflect that they now have this new keyword. These cards are: 

• Cobra Bubbles – Dedicated Official 

• This Growing Pressure 

• Ariel – Curious Traveler 

• Woody – Town Sheriff 

• Gaston – Frightful Bully 

 

Rules Clarifications 

To support the release of Hyperia City, we’ve continued to improve the readability and functional­ity of the Comprehensive Rules, our technical document covering the intricate details and nuances of playing the game. The following cover some of the tune-ups we made with the 2.3 version. 

Check out the Disney Lorcana TCG Comprehensive Rules for more info and the latest updates. 

Word’s been brewing in the community of a tricky interaction between Belle – Apprentice Inventor and The Black Cauldron, which was released in Whispers in the Well. If Belle is under The Black Cauldron, you can banish the Cauldron to play Belle by using her What a Mess ability. We’ve added language to the rules to clarify why it works that way: When you banish The Black Cauldron to pay the cost for playing Belle, the entire stack of cards (Belle included) goes to your discard, then Belle is played from your discard.  

A big shoutout to our rules-focused community for highlighting this intricacy with our cards. We can’t wait to see what will bubble up next! 

 

Updates on How “Enters” Works 

We streamlined "enters" effects quite a bit by moving those rules away from being replacement effects to being static effects. We’re also adding clarifications that guide how “enters” effects can interact with each other. Now these effects apply as the card is coming into play but before it’s actually put into play. In addition, “enters” effects now have a small hierarchy of application, and effects from the card entering play apply first. Then, effects from other sources are applied. 

 

Moving Characters 

We’ve retouched the rules to make them clearer about how moves are affected when effects instruct characters to move rather than a player taking a turn action to move them. This means choices made for moving are now inherent to the rule itself. So, choices are always made for a move, whether the move is triggered by a turn action or by an effect. Choices are also made even if the move won’t happen. This change is a bit more finicky than the others, and we’ll be closely monitoring discussions for community feedback! 

It seems like just yesterday we were answering questions on how multiple players resolve A Whole New World. As we’ve created new cards, effects where multiple players act at the same time have fit into the framework we created nicely. But we needed to make a small adjustment for the street-smart Thomas O’Malley – Savvy Vagabond to work as intended. 

Now, if an effect requires multiple players to act at the same time and there are multiple parts to that effect, each player does the first part of the effect in turn order. Then, they do the second part in turn order, and so on until all parts are resolved. As an example, with Thomas O’Malley the active player reveals the top card of their deck first. Then, each opponent does the same, in turn order, at which point the card or cards with the highest cost are put into their players’ hands. Finally, the active player puts any revealed card they still have on the bottom of their deck, and each opponent does the same in turn order.  

This process change affects a few other cards, too, but we feel this opens up some new and exciting design opportunities, so stay tuned! 

 

Keyword Stacking 

Before, if an effect attempted to apply a keyword ability to a card that already had it, it simply wasn’t applied. But interactions with Duo Shift in Attack of the Vine! and cards like Ancestral Guitar in this set, it was clear we needed to revisit the rules that guided this process. Now, if a keyword is applied to a card that already has it, the one with the longer duration applies and the other one doesn’t.  

 

Minor Rules Updates 

With this new set we’ve made the following general updates to the Disney Lorcana TCG Comprehensive Rules: 

• 6.1.4.2. Added rules to explain effects with multiple “may” conditions.  

• 6.7.7. Added language defining the characteristics of a card.  

 

Quality-of-Life Updates 

The following updates are adjustments to language and word usage within the rules and on the cards to be clear, concise, and consistent. 

• 4.3.2.1. Updated language clarifying that a played card is revealed from the zone it’s currently in.  

• 4.3.2.4. Added language for ink drops. 

• 4.4.3.4. Added language for ink drops. 

• 4.7.3.4. Added language for ink drops. 

• 5.1.1.5. Fixed an incorrect number reference. 

• 6.1.14.3. Added language clarifying that when effects reveal cards, they take action only on those revealed cards. 

• 6.4.2.1. Added language clarifying what static abilities can affect. 

• 6.4.2.3. Added language clarifying what static abilities can affect. 

 

Rules Glossary Updates 

Sometimes glossary updates clarify past entries, and sometimes they include new terms. With the release of the latest set, we clarified and added the following: 

• action, turn: Adjusted and expanded. 

• ink drop: Added.  

• passing the bag: Corrected numbering in citation. 

• Set step: Adjusted. 

• triggered ability: Adjusted. 

• turn action: Removed. 

 

Card-Specific Notes 

The following are answers to a few questions that might come up when playing specific cards from this new set. This isn’t meant to be an exhaustive list, but we hope it’s a helpful guide for some of the more complex cards. 

Q: With Ancestral Guitar’s ability From the Heart, if I chose a character that already has Singer, do they still get the +2 cost to sing songs? 

A: Yes. Even though gaining Singer wouldn’t apply (because a card with the Singer keyword has that ability in perpetuity), the effect still does as much as it can, so the +2 cost part applies for that turn. 

Q: If I move 2 characters to Port Authority – Center Hub at the same time, say with Russell – Junior Wilderness Explorer’s ability, how many ink drops and how much lore should each player get? 

A: Each player will get 1 ink drop and 1 lore. When both characters move to the location at the same time, the ability triggers and is added to the bag twice. When the first one resolves, it fulfills the “once during your turn” condition of the trigger and resolves successfully. When the second one resolves, since the “once” condition has already been fulfilled, the triggered ability resolves with no effect. 

Q: If I give a character with 0 {L} the Adventurous keyword with Nick Wilde’s Restricted Route ability, do they still have to quest? 

A: Yes, although sadly you won’t gain any lore from their adventure.  

Q: If I quest with Mr. Manchas – Service with a Smile twice in the same turn, do I pay 1 {I} less or 2 {I} less for the next character I play this turn? 

A: You pay 2 {I} less. The payment reduction stacks as many times as the triggered ability resolves before playing the next character.  

Q: Does Nick Wilde – Toy Drive Officer count himself for his Community Outreach ability the turn you play him? 

A: Yes. On the turn you play him, he counts as 1 of the “2 or more characters.” 

Q: If an effect says I can play a character “for free,” can I play Clawhauser – Safety Officer if I haven’t played another character that turn? 

A: No. You must have played another character that turn in order to play Clawhauser by any means, whether as part of the normal turn action or by using an effect that allows you to play him.  

Q: If I use Powerline – Megastar to sing Never Gonna Let You Cry, in what order do I return characters from my discard to my hand? 

A: You resolve the song first and then the triggered ability from Powerline. In this instance, first you return up to 2 character cards with cost 2 or less each from your discard to your hand. Then, you resolve Powerline’s triggered ability and return a character card with Singer from your discard to your hand.  

Q: If I have Flash – Efficient Clerk in play when my opponent plays Donald Duck – Taxi Driver, and they choose Donald Duck for the triggered ability, what happens? 

A: Due to Flash’s Take . . . Your . . . Time ability, Donald . . . Duck . . . can’t . . . gain . . . Rush. 

Q: When I play Everyone Knows Juanita, does it count toward the “10 or more cards in your discard”? 

A: No. When you play an action, it’s still in play while its ability resolves. Therefore, it wouldn’t be in your discard when you’re counting cards to determine if you have 10 or more. Once its ability resolves, then it goes into the discard. 

Q: If I use the Merlin’s Wand Magic Touch ability and choose to reveal Winnie the Pooh & Piglet – Hunny Mages, do I have to reveal another Winnie the Pooh & Piglet or can I reveal any Winnie the Pooh or Piglet? 

A: Winnie the Pooh & Piglet – Hunny Mages has three names: Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, and Winnie the Pooh & Piglet. As long as the second card you reveal matches one of those names, you’ve paid the ability’s cost successfully.  

Q: If I play Remember Me and then play a card that allows me to play a character for free, can I play the free character from my discard? 

A: Yes. Remember Me allows you to play characters from your discard whenever you can play a character that turn, if you so choose. But it also still requires that, if you play a character from your discard with that effect, the character must enter play exerted and you can’t play characters with the same name for the rest of the turn. 

Q: If I somehow play Remember Me on my opponent’s turn, can I then play a character from my discard? 

A: No. Remember Me doesn’t tell you to play a character but simply allows you to play characters from your discard if you’re able to play a card. That said, if you somehow played Remember Me on your opponent’s turn and also somehow played a card that allowed you to play a character for free during their turn, you could play a character from your discard.  

Q: If I quest with Rapunzel – Outgoing Artist and she’s the only character in play, can I reveal another character named Rapunzel from my hand? 

A: No. Rapunzel’s Picture Perfect ability specifically says to choose “another” character, so you can’t choose Rapunzel if she’s the only character in play. If you or an opponent had another Rapunzel in play, then you could reveal any character card from your hand (including a Rapunzel), since you could choose “another” character besides the specific copy of Rapunzel – Outgoing Artist whose ability you’re using.  

Q: If I use Yama – Notorious Criminal’s Keep ’Em Coming ability twice in the same turn, how many ink drop counters do I get when one of my characters challenges another character? 

A: You’d get 2. Each use of Yama’s ability creates a separate floating triggered ability, and all of them trigger when the condition is met. In this case, if you’ve used the ability twice, then you have two instances of the floating triggered ability, both of which trigger on the challenge.  

Q: If I quest with Belle – Exceptional Writer twice in the same turn, do I pay 2 {I} less or 4 {I} less for the next action I play this turn? 

A: You pay 4 {I} less. The payment reduction stacks as many times as the triggered ability resolves before playing the next action.  

Q: If I have 2 song cards in my discard, does Miguel Rivera – Street Musician get +1 {L} or +2 {L}? 

A: He gets +1 {L}. Miguel’s condition only takes into account whether you have a song card in your discard, not how many there are.  

Errata: We’re issuing an errata to the printed text on Jukebox to more accurately reflect the functionality of the card.  

The printed text for the On Repeat ability reads: Once during your turn, whenever you play a song, if it has the same name as a card in your discard, you may ready chosen character. If you do, they can't quest for the rest of this turn.  

The corrected text reads: Once during your turn, whenever you play a song, if it has the same name as another card in your discard, you may ready chosen character. If you do, they can't quest for the rest of this turn. 

Adding “another” prevents a song from counting towards itself for Jukebox’s On Repeat ability on the turn that you play the song. 

Q: If I somehow have more than 4 copies of Leaning Tower of Cheese-a in play, do my items still gain Ward? 

A: No. You must have exactly 4 copies of Leaning Tower of Cheese-a in play to gain Ward. It can only lean so much. 

Q: If I removed an ink drop to play Intense Research, do I still put a card into my hand and the rest on the bottom of my deck in any order? 

A: Yes. The replacement effect only replaces the part that it can affect, which is how many cards you can look at. The rest of the effect happens as normal.  

Q: If I quest with Thomas O’Malley – Savvy Vagabond and the cards my opponent and I reveal are both cost 5, do we both get to put the cards we revealed into our hands? 

A: Yes. If you both revealed a cost 5 card, then the highest cost among the cards revealed is 5 and the cards are tied. As the card states, when there’s a tie for highest cost, you both put your revealed cards into your respective hands. 

Q: When I play an item and I have Spyglass Hat in play, what counts as a different name? 

A: If the name of the item you played doesn’t exactly match any name of any other item you have in play, then the triggered ability on Spyglass Hat resolves and you get to put a card from your hand into your inkwell facedown and exerted. However, if you have a Spyglass Hat in play and then play another Spyglass Hat during your next turn, the second would match the name of an item you already have in play, so the triggered ability would resolve for no effect. 

Q: If I have Duchess – Cosmopolitan Cat plus a character with cost 7 in play and my opponent has an item with cost 8 in play, does my Duchess get +1 {L} with her Upper Crust ability? 

A: Yes. That ability compares only characters in play, not items or other card types, so your Duchess would get +1 {L}.  

Q: If I choose “no” for either “may” option in Minnie Mouse – Urban Visionary’s All by Design ability, does the entire ability no longer resolve? 

A: No. If you choose “no” for either option in that ability, only the part that’s tied to the specific “may” wouldn’t happen and you’d do as much as you can for the rest. For example, you could choose to look at the cards in your inkwell and not return one to your hand or you could choose not to look at the cards in your inkwell and then choose to return one to your hand. Either way, you exert all of the cards in your inkwell. If you choose “no” for both, the entire ability wouldn’t resolve, in which case you wouldn’t exert all the cards in your inkwell. 

Q: When I play an item and I have Ariel – Collector of Oddities in play, what counts as a different name? 

A: If the name of the item you played doesn’t exactly match any name of any other item you have in play, then the triggered ability on Ariel resolves and you get to draw a card. For example, if you have a Spyglass Hat in play and then play another Spyglass Hat during your next turn, the second would match the name of an item you already have in play, so the triggered ability would resolve for no effect. 

Q: Does removing the ink drop counters for Baymax – Amped Up’s Shift ability count as paying ink? 

A: No. With Baymax’s Shift cost, you’re simply removing 2 ink drop counters and not using those ink drops to pay for ink.  

Q: Let’s say I’m playing in a 4-person multiplayer game and an opponent chooses one of my characters for Flippant Taunt but then leaves the game during their turn. Does my character still have Reckless? 

A: Yes. Static abilities generated by effects last until their stated duration ends, even if the player who generated the effect has left the game. And yes, this is a little weird.  

Q: Does Madam Mim – Resourceful Trickster’s ability Bauble Game trigger if I used ink drop counters to play her? 

A: No. Madam Mim needs to be in play for the second ability to trigger, and the ink drops used to play her were removed before she was in play.